Upholstery panel and method of making the same



' Sept. 27, 1927.

' 1,643,400 J. A. WILSON UPHOLSTERY PANEL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed F'ebj 17, 1921 INVENTOR /0/7/7 f7 Wl/SOI? ARNEY Patented Sept. 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. WILSON, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB 'lIO DUBATEX ('.lOII:'tIEO.'ItA..-

TION, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. I

'UPHOLSTERY PANEL AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Application filed February 17, .1921. Serial 1%. 445,869.

This invention relates to improvements in upholstery panels and the method of making the. same and relates more particularly to such panels suitable for use in automobile 5 bodies.

One'object of the invention is to produce an upholstery panel which simulates leather, yet which will be much cheaper than leather and easier of application.

Another object is to provide an improved method or process of making a coated article, preferably coated with a composition containing nitrocellulose, and embossed to simulate leather and which is suitable for use as a kick pad or door panel in an automobile.

Heretofore, that type of upholstery panels- Were made of leather orartificial leather and i usually consisted of a base of paper or cardboard upon which leather or' leather substicarrier board and fastened in place. Such panels, while possibly satisfactory, have enone of the objects of this invention is to lessen the. labor in producing upholstery panels and cheapen the cost of their manufacture. Further objects of the invention will defi- 'nitely appear from the following detailed description and drawin showing a piece of fabric or panel in whic Fig. 1 is a view of the waterproofed side of the panel.

' i Fig. 2 is a view of the embossed side of the panel.

Fig. 3 is a section through the panel in exaggerated detail showing the coating ma 40 terial, the basis and edges of the panel or .fabric. t

In general the ob'ects of the invention are carried out by providing a suitable/paper or pulp base with a coating of a compositioncontaining nitrocellulose and embossing the same. v

The pulp or paper usedis preferably made waterproof as b varnish or similar material. The water roo quality mayeither beprovided at t e time that the paper is manufactured or may be applied. e ore the coating of composition is spread on the same. Similarly where the article is to be used as a lining or door panel for an automobile or as tutes has been rigidly secured by glue ortailed considerable labor and expense and a kick pad on such'a vehicle, the paper may.

either be cut to proper size and shape before the composition is applied to the same or, if desired, the composition and embossing ma be spread upon the paperbefore cutting.

t is o vious that the mixture or composi- 601 tion used for coating this paper must be of such a nature that the film coating will not peal and therefore it has been found desirable to use some sort of substance as a gum or resin supplying an adhesive characteristic (:5 n conjunction with the nitrocellulose 'coating. Furthermore, the final solution used must also comprise some solvent that will dissolve not only the nitrocellulose, but also the gum or resin whichever is added or has been added to the composition; For this purpose, ethyl, butyl or amyl acetate is preferably employed, although any other suitable ester or an alcohol or other solvent having the properties above set forth may be employed. It has been found that in place of gum or resin, a bitumen may be used in conjunction with a nitrocellulose composition.

A preferred example of one formula, used with considerable success in practicin this invention, comprises one part by weig t of shellac dissolved 'in a proper solvent, two parts of nitrocellulose. dissolved in a re-' quired solvent, with the necessary amount of the desired shade of pigment, the latter being added either in dry form or ground with a vegetable oil.

The nitrocellulose composition outlined above is spread upon the aper or pulp base 1 in any. desired manner, eit er by hand or by on machine, by means of a knife or brush, either I by the use of rollers or b the use of a usual form of spreading kni e, itma even be sprayed on, the sole requirement eing that the coating be evenly and uniforml applied over the whole surface as indicate at 1, in Figs. 2 and 3. After spreading and drying the article is embossed either by plates or rollers usually employed in the manufacture of artificial or substituteleather as indicated at 2 in Fig. 2. y

The coating is preferably of such" slight thickness that the im ressions of the embossing dies is carrie through the nitrocellulose coatin on to the very surface of the fiber board eneath as indicated at 3, in Fi 3.

is the spreadin foftli'e coating as described above usua yresults inthe setting up of a tension on, the face ofthe'cardboard or 110 paper used, it has been found desirable to size the opposite or uncoated side of the material with a suitable sizing or glue 4 and thus set up an equal tension on both faces of the cardboard or paper. It has been found that such sizing of the reverse side of the article successively prevents any warping or bending of the panel.

The finished product is now left to thoroughly dry, usually by the application of heat and air to permit the solvents used during the process to completely evaporate.

As the finished article is to be used in a substantially vertical position and subject more or less to the elements, it becomes necessary to protect the cut edges notonly around the outer periphery of the panel but also that of the hole for the pocket, for instance. To this-end therefore, these cut edges are waterproofed, preferably by the composition containing the nitrocellulose and therefore the preferred practice is to first cut the paper or cardboard base of proper size and configuration and provide it with the necessary openings for the door handle and pocket, in case of a door panel, and then coat with composition which is to carry the embossing.

The coated article made as described is particularly suitable for upholstery purposes as set forth in connection with the inne-r'door lining of an automobile door or as a kick pad, that is the vertical front face of an automobile seat. The new product is much cheaper to make and at the same time is fully as durable as a panel inwhich the artificial or substitute leather is first spread on a fabric or thin paper carrier and then glued to the cardboard.

Believing that the above-described process and product, using nitrocellulose, are new, it is desired toclaim the same broadly, without reference to the particular ingredients used in connection as colors and as adhesives, other than nitrocellulose as used in the coating composition. v

Being aware that the particular embodiment of the invention shown and described is susceptible of considerable variation without departing from the spirit of the invention, therefore, it is desired to claim the same broadly as well as specifically, as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an up holstery panel comprising a fiber board coated with a composition comprising one part by weight of shellac, two parts by weight of nitrocellulose and containing the necessary amount of the desired shade of pigment.

2. An upholstered panel comprising a water-proofed fibre base having its face and edges coated with a composition of nitrocellulose and a shellac-like material, and having its. uncoated side sized.

3. As a new article of manufacture, an upholstering panel comprising a fiber board one side and the cut edges of which are coated with a composition comprising one part by weight of a shellac-like material and two parts by weight of nitrocellulose.

4. The method of producing upholstery panels which comprises waterproofing a suitable fiber base, applying a thin uniform coating of composition containing nitr0- cellulose to one SlCle of the same, embossing the latter side so that the configuration of the embossing extends into the surface of the fiber base, and drying the same.

5. The method of producing upholstery panels which comprises cutting a suitable fiber base of proper size and configuration, waterproofing one side and the cut edges of the base, applying composition containing nitrocellulose to the other side, then embossing the latter side, and drying the panel.

6. An article of the class described comrisin a base material a coatin of water- JOHN A. WILSON. 

